Elmira College (4-4, 1-2 Empire 8) vs. Alfred University (8-3, 2-2 Empire 8)
Saturday, April 16, 2016 | 1:00 p.m. | Campus Field - Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team will look to rebound from its 7-5 road loss at Hartwick College when the Soaring Eagles return to Campus Field to host Alfred University on Saturday, April 16th. Faceoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Last Time Out
Elmira was unable to contain a second-quarter Hartwick rally that proved to be the difference maker, as the Hawks defeated the Purple and Gold 7-5 last Saturday. Although EC scored the only goal of the first quarter, Hartwick quickly erased the deficit by winning the opening faceoff of the second quarter and scoring almost immediately. That goal sparked a 6-0 run, which put the Soaring Eagles down by five early in the third quarter. Nevin Olney '18, Skyler Pradelski '16 and Kevin Schutt '19 each scored once as part of a 3-0 EC run to bridge the last two periods, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit created in the second quarter.

Scoring Streaks
Three Soaring Eagles are currently riding the longest scoring streak of their respective careers. Skyler Pradelski '16, EC's leading scorer with 20 goals and 21 points, has scored at least one goal in seven straight games after being held without a point in the season opener. Included in that streak are four hat tricks and two five-goal outings. The senior is sixth in the Empire 8 Conference in goals per game at 2.50. Anthony LaRusso '16 has registered at least one point in seven straight games as well. LaRusso leads the team with nine assists, bolstered by a single-game career-high four helpers in the win over Houghton College on March 30th. TJ Leach '16 extended his point streak to a career-best six games by tallying one assist against Hartwick. Of those six games, Leach has earned three points in four of them, including hat tricks against both Nazareth College and Alfred State.

Series History
The Saxons of Alfred University hold a 9-4 edge in the series since 2003. It has been over six years since the Soaring Eagles have defeated Alfred, with the last victory over the conference foe coming on April 10, 2010.

Scouting Alfred
Alfred is coming off one of its best seasons in recent memory, as the 13 wins collected in 2015 were the most since matching that feat in 1995. The Saxons enter Saturday's Empire 8 contest with an 8-3 overall record, but sit at just 2-2 inside the conference. Those two losses came against then-No. 12 Stevens Institute of Technology and No. 11 Nazareth College. Alfred ranks fourth in the league in goals (13.82), assists (6.91), and points (20.73) per game. Individually, the offense features two of the E8's leading goal scorers in Jake Lynch with 45 goals and Joe Fornataro with 33. There's no doubt Lynch is one of the most dangerous scorers in the nation, as he is tied for fifth in Division III with a 4.09 goals-per-game average. Despite being just a sophomore, he has already surpassed the 100-point plateau (126) and has nearly reached the 100-goal mark (97). The reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year has scored a hat trick or better in eight of 11 games this season, including a five-goal outing last time out against Utica College.

Looking Ahead
The Elmira men will continue play inside the Empire 8 with a home contest against St. John Fisher College on Tuesday, April 19th, at 4:00 p.m.